PAISLEY golfer Alastair Forsyth insists he is brimming with confidence as he prepares to tee off for the latest instalment of his African adventure.

Forsyth, 35, is in South Africa for the Joburg Open, which gets under way tomorrow at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.

And he goes into the tournament in a buoyant mood after his sensational fifth-place finish at the Africa Open last weekend.

Forsyth was in fine form at the East London Club in South Africa as he recorded his best finish to a tournament since clinching fourth spot at the Iberdrola Open, in Mallorca, Spain, back in May last year.

And, armed now with a new putter, the battling Buddie plans to keep the feel-good factor going in Joburg as he seeks to regain his European Tour card.

Forsyth said: “Last year was a struggle but I have a positive feeling about this one ahead and I’ll head into the upcoming events with a lot of confidence.

“I’m not daft enough to think that all my problems have gone in the space of one week but this is the best I have felt in a long time because I feel as though I’ve found something which has worked and, in turn, it helps confidence.”

Forsyth earned a cheque for £34,482 after he carded a 22-under-par aggregate score of 270 over the four days at the East London Club.

And that was a good sign that his form may, at long last, be returning after a difficult 2011.

Forsyth, who plays at Mearns Castle Golf Academy, said: “I played really well all week and it was great to finish things off and secure a good start to the year.

“The course was playing quite easy for everyone, so I knew that it was going to be down to chipping and putting and those parts of my game were fine.

“When I began, I knew I would have to be shooting around the four or five-under mark every day just to stay anywhere near contention.

“There’s a new putter in the bag and that worked well.”

Forsyth, who has made some changes to his game in a bid to regain his form, carded a six-under-par score of 67 in his final round at the Africa Open.

That took him to within five shots of eventual winner and home favourite Louis Oosthuizen, who also fired a 67 for his winning tally of 265.

“I only dropped three shots all week and that is very pleasing because it was the ‘test case’ for the new grip,” said Forsyth. “I didn’t know what to expect because I wasn’t able to practice much with it because of the Scottish weather but it got more comfortable out here day by day.”

Forsyth now believes that, if he can add some consistency to his game, his chances of regaining that prized European Tour card will increase significantly.

He added: “It’s only a week or so into the season, so I won’t get carried away, but it’s great to have played so well and, if I can maintain this form, then I’ll get my Tour card back for sure.”